The name éclade is thought to be a derivative of aiguillade (from the French aiguille: needle), referring to the hundreds of dried pine needles used to cook the mussels for this dish. Pine needles burn intensely for a brief period, just long enough to cook the mussels while infusing them with a smoky woody sweetness.
For this dish it is important that the mussels are positioned vertically on a board, hinge upwards. Four nails are often hammered halfway into the centre of a board as a supporting structure. The mussels are then tightly arranged against each other, and spiralling out from the centre, to stop them opening when cooking. While the careful arrangement of mussels may be an involved process, the pyrotechnic spectacle is almost as satisfying as eating them.
This is finger food at its best, served with a fennel and saffron rouille into which each mussel is dipped as it is picked from the shell.